


Just Another Murder Case

by Captain_Jade



Category: Rusty Lake | Cube Escape (Video Games)
Genre: Ambiguity, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Dreamsharing, Gen, Mild Gore, Murder Mystery, Surreal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:14:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29822688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Jade/pseuds/Captain_Jade
Summary: "Do you ever think about death, Mr. Vandermeer?"She's faced away from him, hands clasped neatly behind her back as she stands there knee-deep in the lake. The murky water below her seems tinged with red, and Dale draws in a sharp breath when he realizes why, grateful that she's facing away from him rather than towards. "I...have to admit it's not one of my favorite things to ponder," he says slowly. "But yes, I do from time to time. I think everyone does, don't you?""No," comes her reply, a strange air of nonchalance in her voice. "Not me.""That's...sort of a strange thing to hear coming from a dead person."
Relationships: Laura Vanderboom & Dale Vandermeer
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	Just Another Murder Case

It's as if the world is holding its breath, as Dale stands there on the shore of the lake, staring through the fog at the outlines of the vague silhouette in front of him slowly become clearer.

They don't need to—he knows who it is even without having to look. It's something about the chill that runs down his spine as his eyes glaze over, the ominous silence that creeps itself into his heart and freezes it from the inside.

He never even knew this woman in life; _why_ does she keep coming back? He can't keep his mind off of her, not even in his dreams.

Dale waits, quietly, for the fog to lift, and the sky to return to blue instead of its usual dull grey. Has he been here before? He must have; this image is far too clear and precise to have come from his imagination. He can't remember, though.

The silence stretches over the two for a long time before, finally, she speaks.

"Do you ever think about death, Mr. Vandermeer?"

She's faced away from him, hands clasped neatly behind her back as she stands there knee-deep in the lake. The murky water below her seems tinged with red, and Dale draws in a sharp breath when he realizes why, grateful that she's facing away from him rather than towards. "I...have to admit it's not one of my favorite things to ponder," he says slowly. "But yes, I suppose I do from time to time. I think everyone does, don't you?"

"No," comes her reply, a strange air of nonchalance in her voice. "Not me."

"That's...sort of a strange thing to hear coming from a dead person."

As blunt of a statement this is, Laura Vanderboom doesn't seem to care. Her shoulders rise and fall in a shrug. "It's not as strange as you might think, Dale. I have more important things to worry about."

"What kind of things does a dead person have to worry about?"

There's a weighted pause. Laura sighs, her shoulders dropping. Then she turns around.

Dale winces, momentarily letting his eyes drop down to her neck, where dark, thick blood is still flowing freely. He forces himself to look away, instead making eye-contact, although that's not much better. Her eyes look lifeless and dull, a pale grey instead of the vibrant blue that he's seen in pictures.

"Dale," she says.

"Yes?"

"Why are you here?"

Dale stares back at her, confused. "I'm dreaming," he answers. "I can't help it."

"That's right, you are dreaming. You could go wherever you want in your dreams, Mr. Vandermeer. You could leave, if you wanted to. But you never do. You always end up here. And even when you realize you are, it doesn't even occur to you to leave, does it?"

He blinks. "I...suppose not? But..."

"You wanna know why?"

"...Why?"

Laura takes a step closer. "It's because we're not done here. And we won't be, probably forever. The Lake has taken me, and it's taking you too. It was always going to end this way, Dale."

Mr. Vandermeer shakes his head, looking away and swallowing hard. "This is a dream. You're dead. It isn't real."

"Look at me, Dale. _Look at me_."

...Dale looks at Laura. He stares back into her dull, lifeless eyes, the intensity of her gaze sending a shiver down his spine yet again.

"Quit lying to yourself, will you? Just wake up. You'll see me again soon."

"I don't understand," he mumbles. "Laura, what's going on?"

And then she smirks. For a split second, he can see a spark of life in her eyes, a tiny catch-light that twinkles for a moment under the sun. "Let's find out, shall we?"


End file.
